Wireless network host in silent mode

ABSTRACT

An access point that implements operating modes in which beacons may be selectively disabled. Beacons may be disabled when no device is actively associated through the access point. Beacons may be enabled in response to one or more triggers, which may include events such as a client forming an association through the access point following a probe request message identifying the access point. In addition, active beaconing may be triggered by user input or may occur during periodic brief intervals that allow client devices to discover the network identifier for the access point. Selective control of beaconing may lead to more effective wireless communication, particularly in areas where users congregate with computers implementing soft APs for personal networks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/753,234, filed on Jan. 29, 2013 (Attorney DocketNo. 323176.02), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/125,034, filed on May 21, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,374,159,issued Feb. 12, 2013 (Attorney Docket No. 323176.01). Each of theafore-referenced applications is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication provides significant flexibility to computerusers. By communicating wirelessly, computer users may simply create anetwork or may have network connectivity as they move their computersfrom place to place. In a typical wireless local area network (WLAN), awireless client connects to an access point (AP), and communication isenabled between the client and a network.

An AP is a piece of equipment that allows devices to connect to anetwork. Access points, for example, are used to allow wireless clientsto connect to a wired network, enabling the wireless clients to usedevices connected to the wired network. APs may be self-containedhardware devices. Alternatively, computing devices (e.g., laptops) canbe adapted to act as APs through the use of software. Suchsoftware-based access points or “soft APs” may allow a wireless clientto access services not only on a network to which the computing deviceis connected but also on the computing device itself.

Access points operate according to protocols that enable client devicesto form network connections. Wireless access points frequently advertisetheir presence by broadcasting beacons at regular intervals. Each beaconframe may carry such information as the beacon interval, timestamp,service set identifier (SSID), supported data rates, and other pertinentdata regarding the access point. The SSID identifies a specific networkfor which access is provided by the access point. Though, not all ofthis information may be broadcast in every scenario. For example, someaccess points may opt to disable the SSID from being broadcast in beaconframes to reduce security issues.

In addition to enabling a client device to find an access point, theperiodic beacons can synchronize operation of client devices once theyare associated with the network. For example, a beacon signal mayindicate whether there are messages waiting for the client at the AP.Such a protocol allows more efficient operation of a client because itonly needs to monitor for incoming messages at periodic beacon intervalsand following receipt of beacons that indicate the access point hasbuffered messages for the client.

SUMMARY

Devices operating as wireless access points may be configured toselectively operate in a silent mode. In silent mode, the access pointbroadcasts beacons at a lower rate than during an active mode in which adevice is associated with the access point. The access point may switchbetween silent and active modes in response to trigger events.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention relates a method of operatinga host computing device adapted to act as an access point to at leastone network. The method includes operating in a first mode in whichbeaconing is not enabled. When the host computing device receives atrigger, it switches to a second mode in which beaconing is enabled.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating a hostcomputing device adapted to act as an access point to at least onenetwork. The method includes operating in a first mode in which beaconsare broadcast at a first rate. In response to receiving the trigger, thehost operates in a second mode in which beacons are broadcast at asecond rate. The second rate is slower than the first rate.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a computer storage mediumcomprising computer-executable instructions for controlling a wirelessnetwork interface to act as an access point to a network. The accesspoint operates in a first mode in which beacons are broadcast at a firstrate. In response to receiving a first trigger, the access pointoperates in a second mode in which beacons are broadcast at a secondrate. In response to receiving a second trigger, the access pointoperates in the first mode. The first rate is slower than the secondrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various FIGs. is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of a computer system in whichembodiments of the invention may be practiced;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting an example topology in scenarioswherein several computers are operating as access points, in accordancewith some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart demonstrating how a host AP may toggle between asilent mode and an active beaconing mode, based on triggers initiated bya wireless client, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart demonstrating how a host AP may toggle between asilent mode and an active beaconing mode, based on triggers initiated bythe host AP, in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a portable computer according to anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors have recognized and appreciated that, as users takeadvantage of soft access point functionality in computing devices, thereis a risk that in locations where computer users congregate there willbe multiple devices broadcasting beacons. The inventors have furtherrecognized that multiple beaconing devices operating within transmitrange of each other will create spectrum congestion that can interferewith effective communication. When a client or soft access pointconnected as one network needs to exchange information, theircommunication may be disrupted by other devices broadcasting beacons.

Though wireless communication protocols are designed to continueoperation despite occasional disruptions of this type, as thedisruptions become more frequent, the throughput supported by aconnection decreases. If the disruptions are too frequent, effectivecommunication is foreclosed. Though, even if disruptions caused byin-range soft APs are not so severe that they prevent communication,they can reduce supported data rates to the point that a user'sexperience is negatively impacted. Such disruptions could arise, forexample, in private offices or public places in which mobile computerusers may congregate.

Thus, use of soft access points, and particularly soft access points inmobile devices, may create problems that are not prevalent with currentwireless networks. For example, as mobile computer users more frequentlyuse soft AP functionality to implement personal area networks betweentheir computers and other devices, such as smart phones and musicplayers, there will be more access points in general. Moreover, theseaccess points may be concentrated in areas where people tend tocongregate, such as offices, conference centers, and other publicplaces.

Further, the inventors have recognized and appreciated that more mobileAPs (e.g., laptops acting as soft APs) with less frequently consumedservices, can operate differently than current fixed APs. Such soft APsmay desirably be able to operate in a way that consumes less of theavailable spectrum by reducing the instances in which they broadcastbeacons.

Accordingly, some embodiments of the invention provide a new silent modefor wireless network hosting where the beacon of an AP may be suppressedwhen there are no devices associated with the wireless network or whenbeaconing is not otherwise necessary. The beacon could be activated whennecessary, upon the receipt by the AP of an appropriate trigger.Likewise, beaconing may be deactivated in response to a trigger. In someembodiments, the AP, even though not beaconing, may continue to monitortransmissions from potential clients, in which case the trigger thatactivates beaconing may be initiated by actions taken by a potentialwireless client. In embodiments in which a beacon is used to enableclient devices to locate the access point, the beaconing may betriggered at periodic intervals and then disabled after an interval thatmay be long enough to allow a client device to discover the accesspoint. In other embodiments in which a beacon is used to synchronizecommunication with one or more clients, the beaconing may be triggeredonce a client forms an association through the access point and disabledonce all clients disassociate from the access point or at some timeafter clients disassociate. Though, the triggers may come from anysuitable sources, including user input or through an applicationexecuting on the host AP itself.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment100 on which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Thecomputing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitablecomputing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation asto the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the invention.Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as havingany dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 100.

Embodiments of the invention are operational with numerous other generalpurpose or special purpose computing system environments orconfigurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with embodiments ofthe invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers,server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,distributed computing environments that include any of the above systemsor devices, and the like.

Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote computer storage media including memory storagedevices.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementingembodiments of the invention includes a general purpose computing devicein the form of a computer 110. Components of computer 110 may include,but are not limited to, a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, anda system bus 121 that couples various system components including thesystem memory to the processing unit 120. The system bus 121 may be anyof several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memorycontroller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofbus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, sucharchitectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.

Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatileand nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can accessed by computer 110. Communication media typicallyembodies computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131and random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 110, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 120. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134, applicationprograms 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137.

The computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 140 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152,and an optical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable,nonvolatile optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storagemedia that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include,but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards,digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solidstate ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 141 is typically connectedto the system bus 121 through a non-removable memory interface such asinterface 140, and magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155are typically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable memoryinterface, such as interface 150.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 110. In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive 141 is illustratedas storing operating system 144, application programs 145, other programmodules 146, and program data 147. Note that these components can eitherbe the same as or different from operating system 134, applicationprograms 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137. Operatingsystem 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, andprogram data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, ata minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands andinformation into the computer 110 through input devices such as akeyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse,trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include amicrophone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit120 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the systembus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such asa parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor191 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus121 via an interface, such as a video interface 190. In addition to themonitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices suchas speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected through anoutput peripheral interface 195.

The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 110, although only a memory storage device 181 has beenillustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN)173, but may also include other networks. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranetsand the Internet.

The computer 110 may be connected to various networking environmentsthrough a network interface or adapter 170. Network interface 170 maycomprise a wired LAN card. Communication over a wired connection may bein accordance with the Ethernet protocol or any other suitable protocol.Alternatively or additionally, network interface 170 may comprise awireless LAN or wireless WAN card, allowing computer 110 to access anetwork using wireless technology. A wireless LAN card may be configuredto communicate according to the IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) standard, or anyother suitable protocol. A wireless WAN card may be configured tocommunicate according to the IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) standard, or any othersuitable protocol.

Such wireless LAN and WAN cards comprise a radio transmitter andreceiver which respectively send and receive wireless signals forcommunication with at least one device in a wireless network. Thecomputer 110 may include a driver and/or other programmed instructionsthrough which it communicates with the radio hardware. For example,radio hardware may be made available by an independent vendor who alsoprovides the driver and/or other programmed instructions through whichthe computer (e.g., operating system 144) may communicate with, andinvoke various functionality provided by, the radio. These programmedinstructions may include any component(s) comprising a hardwareinterface adapted to communicate with radio hardware, provide controlsignals to radio hardware, and/or receive information regarding wirelesssignals received by radio hardware from one or more wireless networks.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typicallyincludes a modem 172 or other means for establishing communications overthe WAN 173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internalor external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user inputinterface 160, or other appropriate mechanism.

In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to thecomputer 110, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memorystorage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1illustrates remote application programs 185 as residing on memory device181. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexemplary and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers may be used.

To support operation in silent mode, operating system 144 may beprogrammed to control a radio, such as a radio associated with awireless network interface, to selectively suppress beaconing.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example connectivity scenario in accordance withsome embodiments of the invention in which selectively suppressingbeaconing may be employed. In this example embodiment, computers 200,204, 208, and 212 employ software-enabled access point functionality.Computers 200, 204, 208, and 212 are congregated within an area 201 thatplaces the computers in range of each other for purposes of wirelesscommunication. Accordingly, if these devices emit beacons, the beaconsfrom one computer may interfere with communication by another computer.

Radios 216, 220, 224, and 228 on computers 200, 204, 208, and 212respectively are enabled via software to allow each computer to performas a wireless AP. Although these APs are schematically illustrated, itshould be noted that each radio depicted may be part of a computer'swireless network interface 170 or may be implemented in any othersuitable way. As such, wireless client or device 248 is able to connectto computer 204 via WLAN 236 established by radio 220.

Computer 208 is also configured to act as a wireless access point, andeach of devices 252, 256, and 260 is able to connect to computer 208 viaWLAN 240 established with radio 224. In this example, computer 208 anddevices 252, 256, and 260 may be configured as a form of personal areanetwork (PAN).

Similarly each of devices 264 and 268 is able to connect to computer 212via radio 228 and WLAN 244. Any of these devices may employ any servicesaccessible on the computer or soft access point to which each device isconnected. Additionally, via computers 204 and 208, devices 248, 252,256, and 260 are able to connect to another network 276 (e.g., theInternet) to which computers 204 and 208 are connected. In thisparticular example, no devices are presently connected to computer 200.Also, computer 212 is not connected to any outside network; in thisinstance, the “network” to which computer 212 is providing access couldbe one or more services or components within the computer 212 itself.Thus, FIG. 2 illustrates that there are multiple reasons that a computermay be configured as a wireless access point and it is possible thatmultiple such computers may exist in an area 201. Four computers actingas APs, six devices, and two networks are shown for simplicity; but thenumber of APs, devices, and networks is not a limitation on theinvention, and any suitable number may be used.

In this embodiment, each of the devices depicted in FIG. 2 are withinwireless access range of each of the four computers 200, 204, 208, and212 acting as APs. The combination of connections depicted is simply anexample, and any number of groupings of devices with APs is possible. Ifcomputers 200, 204, 208, and 212 were implemented as access points asknown in the art, all four APs would be continuously beaconing via thetransmitter of radios 216, 220, 224, and 228. Instead, in embodiments ofthe invention, AP 200 would operate in a silent beaconing mode, as itdoes not have any wireless clients or devices actively associated witheither itself or network 272.

The flowchart of FIG. 3 demonstrates how a host AP may toggle between asilent mode and an active or enabled beaconing mode, based on triggersinitiated by the wireless client, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe invention. In this example, in step 302, a wireless client (e.g.,device 256) is initialized or provisioned with the SSID for a network(e.g., network 240) hosted by an AP (e.g., AP 224). This provisioningcan be done by providing information other than by direct communicationbetween the host computer and the client device (i.e. an “out of band”communication), or in any suitable way, including manually, via a wiredconnection to the AP, or via a wireless connection to the AP asdiscussed below with respect to FIG. 4. Meanwhile, the initial ordefault configuration of the host AP is the silent mode, where nobeacons are being transmitted. Rather, the host AP is passivelylistening for probe requests coming from a client that are directedspecifically to its SSID.

When the wireless client attempts to connect to a network, it may obtainan SSID for the network. The SSID may be obtained in any suitable way,such as by looking up the desired SSID for that network in step 304 thathas been provisioned in the client. The client then determines thepresence of the network by sending out probe request messages (e.g., viathe WiFi protocol or any other suitable protocol) that include thespecific SSID for the network (step 306). Upon receipt of a proberequest message in step 308, the host AP determines whether to respondby checking if the probe request matches the network. For example, theAP may check if the SSID matches its network (step 310). Alternatively,any suitable criteria may be used to determine whether the probe requestmatches the network, as the use of SSID matching is not a limitation onthe invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the host AP ignores anyprobe requests with a different or no SSID specified. On the other hand,if the probe request is deemed to be directed to an SSID matching theAP's network, the host AP will in turn respond. In this embodiment, thehost AP responds (step 312) with a probe response message (e.g., via theWiFi protocol or any other suitable protocol)—provided that any otherinformation in the probe request message is compliant with any otherlocal policies that may be in place within the AP.

At step 314, the client can then proceed by sending an associationrequest message to the host AP, which will respond accordingly in step316 (e.g., via the WiFi protocol or any other suitable protocol).Provided that the association request is accepted by the AP, anassociation between the client and the network will be formed (steps 317and 318), and the association will be recorded in some suitable locationwithin the AP (e.g., an association table). At that point (step 320),the successful association may trigger the host AP to enable normalbeaconing procedures, which leads to normal communications between thehost AP and the client, per the WiFi protocol or any other suitableprotocol (steps 322 a and 322 b).

The host may be controlled to enable beaconing in any suitable way. Forexample, a network interface card may have a control interface thataccepts commands that specify operating parameters of the networkinterface card. Those commands may include commands that enable ordisable beaconing or that set the rate at which beacons are broadcast.Beaconing will continue, provided any associations remain active (e.g.,as noted in the association table). When communication is complete, thewireless client may disassociate (step 330). When the last associatedclient disassociates or is disassociated (step 324), the host AP mayenter back into silent beacon mode (step 328). Disabling beaconing inthis fashion prevents unnecessary use of the frequency spectrum.

Alternatively, in step 326, the host AP may choose to delay changingback to silent mode. The period of delay may be determined in anysuitable way, such as based on instructions from an internal logic unitor application within the AP (e.g., software or application programminginterface (API) in the operating system or in a driver). This wouldpermit the network to continue to be visible for some time after thelast station has disassociated so that other services could be consumed,if deemed necessary by the host AP.

FIG. 3 illustrates one possible method of interaction between a clientdevice and a host that implements selective beaconing. Other methods arepossible. For example, the flowchart of FIG. 4 demonstrates how a hostAP may toggle between a silent mode and an active or enabled beaconingmode, based on triggers initiated by the host AP, in accordance withother embodiments of the invention. The initial or default configurationof the host AP is the silent mode, where no beacons are beingtransmitted. Rather, the host AP is passively listening for proberequests coming from a client that are directed specifically to itsSSID. In step 402, an input from within the host AP may act as a triggerto activate beaconing. The triggering input can be generated by aninternal logic unit or application within the AP or in any suitable way(e.g., via software or API in the operating system or in a driver or viauser input).

In response to the triggering input, the host AP enables beaconing (step404). This beaconing activation can be done via a control signal to theradio transmitter of the host AP. The control signal may be thetriggering input itself, or it may be generated separately in a similarfashion as the triggering input or in any suitable way. The controlsignal may include an upper threshold value indicating a maximum periodof time during which beaconing is to remain enabled without anyassociation requests (e.g., transmitted via the WiFi protocol or anyother suitable protocol) received from a wireless client and/or anysuccessful associations formed between a wireless client and the networkhosted by the AP. If no such associations are formed before expirationof the maximum time period (step 410), then the host AP may toggle backto the silent beacon mode (step 414). The disabling of the beacon can bedone by commands passed to a control interface of a network interface orin any suitable way.

Alternatively, upon completion of step 404, request messages from awireless client may be received by the host AP in step 406 (e.g., proberequest and/or association request messages via the WiFi protocol or anyother suitable protocol) leading to a successful association beingformed in step 408 before expiration of the maximum time period. If thatoccurs, the association will be recorded in some suitable locationwithin the AP (e.g., an association table). At that point (step 412),this successful association may trigger the host AP to continue normalbeaconing procedures and conduct normal communications between the hostAP and the client, per the WiFi protocol or any other suitable protocol(step 412).

As these steps take place on the host AP, several parallel actions mayoccur within the wireless client. Namely, after beaconing is enabled onthe host AP (step 404), the wireless client may receive beacon framescontaining the SSID of the network hosted by the AP (step 450). Thisallows the client to send an association request message to that host AP(step 452), which will respond accordingly in step 408 (e.g., via theWiFi protocol or any other suitable protocol). Provided that theassociation request is accepted by the AP, an association between theclient and the network will be formed (steps 454 and 408), leading tonormal communications between the host AP and the client, per the WiFiprotocol or any other suitable protocol (steps 458 and 412). Inaddition, the client may store the SSID for future use (step 456) in anysuitable memory location within the client. In this way, the client hasbeen wirelessly provisioned with the SSID for any future connectionattempts between the client and the corresponding network.

Beaconing will continue, provided any associations remain active (e.g.,as noted in the association table formed in step 408). Whencommunication is complete, the wireless client may disassociate (step460). When the last associated client disassociates or is disassociated(step 416), the host AP may enter back into silent beacon mode (step414). This saves power, provides an improved level of privacy, andprevents unnecessary use of the frequency spectrum. Alternatively, instep 420, the host AP may choose to delay changing back to silent modebased on instructions from an internal logic unit or application withinthe AP (e.g., software or API in the operating system or in a driver).This would permit the network to continue to be visible for some timeafter the last station has disassociated so that other services could beconsumed, if deemed necessary by the host AP.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the structure within a host accesspoint 500 in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Forexample, a host AP 500 may have an operating system 502 and a networkinterface 504, such as a wireless network interface card as is known inthe art. According to example embodiments discussed above with respectto FIGS. 3-4, an input from within the host AP may act as a trigger toactivate beaconing.

A triggering input may be user input received through interface 510, viasoftware, or via an API 530 and/or a logic unit 560 within the operatingsystem 502. For example, a user may indicate through UI 510 that thehost 500 should configure itself to allow a device to form anassociation with the access point.

Regardless of the source of the triggering input, the triggering inputmay be provided through an application programming interface 520 tocontrol logic 530. Control logic 530 may determine based on input, andany prior input that sets the state of the device, an appropriate modeof operation for access point 500.

Regardless of the source of the triggering input or inputs, logic 530may determine an appropriate command or commands to apply networkinterface 504 to cause the network interface to have the appropriatebeaconing behavior. This command information may be applied to radio 560within the network interface 504 through driver 540. In the embodimentillustrated, commands to turn on or off beaconing are applied to driver540 through an API 550. However, any suitable mechanism for translatingtrigger events into commands that control the beacons transmitted by aradio may be used.

Having just described some representative embodiments, there may beseveral variations on these embodiments. For example, active beacon modeand silent mode were earlier described, respectively, as the beaconbeing turned on and off. In some embodiments, beaconing may not beentirely off to achieve the intended effect of reducing spectralcongestion. Rather, silent mode could also indicate a reduction in therate at which beacons are being transmitted. For example, a beaconinterval may typically be set to 100 ms in active beaconing mode of adevice operating according to an IEEE 802.11 protocol. In someembodiments of the invention, a host AP may use a beacon interval of 500ms or more when in silent mode. In other embodiments, a host AP insilent mode may use a beacon interval of 1 second or more in silentmode.

In such embodiments where the silent mode comprises broadcasting beaconsat a lower rate or longer interval than during active beaconing mode,the beacon packets broadcast while in silent mode may still indicate abeacon interval value identical or substantially equivalent to thebeacon interval value when the host AP is in the active beacon mode. Inthis way, even if the host AP is in the silent mode, the client willstill have the correct beacon interval value; and the client may operateas if the AP is in active beaconing mode, where beacons had just beenmissed. Once the AP returns to active beaconing mode, the client mayrely on the previously obtained beacon interval mode to continue orresume normal communication.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations,modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled inthe art.

Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to bepart of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description anddrawings are by way of example only.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can beimplemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may beimplemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, the software code can be executed on anysuitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in asingle computer or distributed among multiple computers.

Further, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in anyof a number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, acomputer may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as acomputer but with suitable processing capabilities, including a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other suitable portable orfixed electronic device.

Also, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. Thesedevices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface.Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interfaceinclude printers or display screens for visual presentation of outputand speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentationof output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a userinterface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touchpads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receiveinput information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in anysuitable form, including as a local area network or a wide area network,such as an enterprise network or the Internet. Such networks may bebased on any suitable technology and may operate according to anysuitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks orfiber optic networks.

Also, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded assoftware that is executable on one or more processors that employ anyone of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, suchsoftware may be written using any of a number of suitable programminglanguages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may becompiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code thatis executed on a framework or virtual machine.

In this respect, embodiments of the invention may be provided using acomputer readable medium (or multiple computer readable media) (e.g., acomputer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs,magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or othertangible computer storage medium) encoded with one or more programsthat, when executed on one or more computers or other processors,perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the inventiondiscussed above. The computer readable medium or media can betransportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can beloaded onto one or more different computers or other processors toimplement various aspects of the present invention as discussed above.

The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense torefer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executableinstructions that can be employed to program a computer or otherprocessor to implement various aspects of the present invention asdiscussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that accordingto one aspect of this embodiment, one or more computer programs thatwhen executed perform methods of the present invention need not resideon a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modularfashion amongst a number of different computers or processors toimplement various aspects of the present invention.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modulesmay be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in anysuitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may beshown to have fields that are related through location in the datastructure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigningstorage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium thatconveys relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanismmay be used to establish a relationship between information in fields ofa data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or othermechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, incombination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussedin the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore notlimited in its application to the details and arrangement of componentsset forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings.For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in anymanner with aspects described in other embodiments.

Also, embodiments of the invention may be provided via a method, ofwhich an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of themethod may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments maybe constructed in which acts are performed in an order different thanillustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, eventhough shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are usedmerely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain namefrom another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinalterm) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for providing access pointfunctionality for a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: awireless network interface configured to send and receive wirelesscommunication signals; and a memory and a processor that arerespectively configured to store and execute instructions that cause thecomputing device to: operate the wireless network interface in a firstmode in which the wireless network interface does not transmitinformation regarding the access point functionality; receive a firsttrigger indicative of communications between the wireless networkinterface and a remote device over the wireless network; transition thewireless network interface to a second mode; operate the wirelessnetwork interface in the second mode in which the wireless networkinterface transmits the information regarding the access pointfunctionality; receive a second trigger indicative of an end ofcommunications between the wireless network interface and the remotedevice, wherein the second trigger comprises at least one of: anoccurrence of a lack of active associations with the wireless networkinterface over the wireless network, an expiration of a predeterminedtime period during which no associations are established with thewireless network interface over the wireless network, or adisassociation of a last wireless client device from the wirelessnetwork interface; and in response to the second trigger, transition thewireless network interface to the first mode.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the information regarding the access point functionalityincludes a beacon of a standardized wireless networking protocol.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the access pointfunctionality includes an identifier of the wireless network and atleast one operational parameter for the wireless network.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and the processor are alsorespectively configured to store and execute instructions that cause thecomputing device to: transition the wireless network interface betweenthe first mode and the second mode at predefined intervals.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and the processor are alsorespectively configured to store and execute instructions that cause thecomputing device to: receive a request that includes an identifier ofthe wireless network from a device that is not associated with thewireless network; and transmit a message that enables the device toutilize the access point functionality.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the instructions that cause the computing device to transitionthe wireless network interface to the first mode: transition thewireless network interface to the first mode after a delay timefollowing the reception of the second trigger.
 7. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the wireless network is a personal area network (PAN).
 8. Anapparatus for providing access point functionality for a wirelessnetwork, the apparatus comprising: a wireless network interfaceconfigured to send and receive wireless communication signals; and amemory and a processor that are respectively configured to store andexecute instructions for performing operations, the operationscomprising: operating the wireless network interface in a first mode inwhich the wireless network interface does not transmit informationregarding the access point functionality; receiving a first triggerindicative of a formation of an association with a remote device overthe wireless network; transitioning the wireless network interface to asecond mode in which the wireless network interface transmitsinformation regarding the access point functionality and provides theaccess point functionality; receiving a second trigger indicative of adetermination that no remote devices are actively associated with theapparatus over the wireless network; and in response to the secondtrigger, transitioning the wireless network interface to the first mode.9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:generating the information regarding the access point functionality fortransmission by the wireless network interface.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the wireless network interface is further configured toselectively generate and transmit the information regarding the accesspoint functionality.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wirelessnetwork interface is further configured to selectively and periodicallytransmit the information regarding the access point functionality. 12.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information regarding the accesspoint functionality is a beacon for the wireless network.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the information regarding the access pointfunctionality includes an identifier of the wireless network and atleast one operational parameter for the wireless network.
 14. A computerstorage medium, comprising at least one of a memory or a disk, havingcomputer-executable instructions stored therein for performing actionsthat operate a wireless network interface of a first computing device asan access point for a wireless network, the actions comprising:operating in a first mode in which beaconing for the wireless network bythe first computing device is disabled; receiving a first trigger thatis indicative of an establishment of an active communications sessionbetween the first computing device and another device over the wirelessnetwork; operating in a second mode in which beaconing for the wirelessnetwork by the first computing device is enabled, wherein operating inthe second mode includes operating the first computing device as anaccess point for the wireless network; receiving a second trigger thatis indicative of a determination that there are no active communicationssessions between the first computing device and other devices over thewireless network; and in response to the second trigger, returning tooperation in the first mode.
 15. The computer storage medium of claim14, wherein the first trigger comprises information received through anapplication programming interface (API).
 16. The computer storage mediumof claim 15, wherein the API is in an operating system of the firstcomputing device.
 17. The computer storage medium of claim 15, whereinthe API is an API to a driver for the wireless network interface of thefirst computing device.
 18. The computer storage medium of claim 14,wherein the first trigger is generated by a user input to the firstcomputing device.
 19. The computer storage medium of claim 14, whereinthe first trigger represents establishment of an association between awireless client device and the first computing device over the wirelessnetwork.
 20. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein theactions further comprise: receiving, from a wireless client device, arequest that includes a network identifier; and selectively transmittinga response to the wireless client device if the network identifier inthe message corresponds to the wireless network.